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Galveston Preview: The Press Conference

Armstrong says he's "definitely having fun" racing triathlon.

It should come as no surprise that Lance Armstrong garnered much of the attention at today’s press conference here at Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas, but that didn’t mean the rest of the pros on hand weren’t in the spotlight. Here’s a recap of some of what was said here – including what has to be one of the best quotes of Lance’s new career in response to one of Greg Welch’s questions: "What he’s trying to say is that I’m really old."

Lance Armstrong

Did he expect to to as well as he did in Panama?

"To be honest I was surprised with the result. I had an idea of what I could do, but in the end, was I surprised to be there (in second)? Yes."

When asked if he could actually win one of the races he’s competing in this year, he replied:

"To be fair and honest, I don’t know. I’ve never done an Ironman and one 70.3. When I raced 20 years ago it was much different. It’s a big question mark and there are no guarantees. I am trying to learn as much as I can. Everyone of these races is a learning experience for me."

Armstrong was asked when the last time he raced in Texas was. (Turns out it was a sprint race in 1990, which he won.)

"You would have to tell me the last time I did a triathlon in Texas. It’s been a heck of a long time. It was probably a pool triathlon. It is good to be home, but Galveston feels like a long way from home, but it is in the great state of Texas."

He was asked what prompted him to switch from triathlon to cycling.

"My dream as a kid was always to go to the Olympics – so I wanted to try to qualify for the Barcelona Games as an amateur. I made the switch to full time cycling in 1990."

Why is he training and racing now?

"I enjoy the training. I would go nuts if I didn’t have a bike to ride in the garage. It’s no secret that I crave those things in my life. I’m still at an age where I think I can be competitive."

What is the difference between training for cycling and triathlon?

"Outside of the obvious that you have more sports to take care of, it takes a lot of time. When I was trying to win the Tour de France I was home a lot more. I have to spend a lot of time on the run – it’s my weakness. (People think that I don’t have to train as much for the bike, but) if you’re going to ride 2 hours and something, you have got to train. I have to stay focused on that, too.

Trying to manage all of these things is a challenge."

Is he having fun?

"I’m definitely having fun. I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t having fun. I have to come home and answer to my family, and my kids would tell me if they knew that I wasn’t having fun. At my age the biggest issue is trying to stay injury free. There’s a great group to run with in Austen, which makes it easier and more bearable."

One of the athletes competing asked Armstrong about how he found the race in Panama:

"I was surprised that there were more tactics. People were marking each other and watching each other. It was very different to how it was 20 years ago. I truly felt like a fish out of water. I didn’t want to do anything crazy. I wanted to leave here having a good experience. When Chris took off, I followed."

What does he hope to do here?

"My goal here is to be better than I was in Panama. That doesn’t mean I want to finish first – I want to be a better athlete. I need to improve personally to know that I’m going in the right direction."

Caitlin Snow

Based in the north eastern United States, Snow has been able to stay home and get lots of great training done this year thanks to the mild winter they enjoyed up north. As always, she’s excited to race and will certainly be one of the women to watch out on the run course.

Snow also got to ask Armstrong a question – about his training for the 50 m kick off he’ll be doing against Rochester triathlete and super-mom Mary Eggers. You can find out more about the charity "kick off" here.

Heather Wurtele

Last year Wurtele won two Ironman races – St. George and Lake Placid. "To do that takes a lot of preparation and fitness, but also a lot of good luck to have things come together on race day," said last year’s eighth-place finisher in Kona.

A strong cyclist, Wurtele is hoping for some windy conditions on the bike.

"It’s misleading when people think that a flat course is going to be easy. It can be really hard. With the wind, if you’re out there racing, it is good to have an objective thing to measure.

Kelly Williamson

"It’s not technically my home town, but it certainly feels like it, so it should be fun," Williamson said, when asked about racing here in her home state. "I don’t want to think about winning the U.S. Pro Championship until I can see the finish line."

Williamson was also asked about here new sponsor, Memorial Hermann – it turns out that she actually did a women’s camp last weekend in the Woodlands, where the hospital is based.

"It’s an incredible facility and an awesome team of great people," she said of the title sponsor of this race.

Marino Vanhoenacker

He might have the fastest time ever at an official Ironman event, but that "won’t help me tomorrow, it’s in the past," Vanhoenacker said of his 7:45:58 from Ironman Austria last year.

"The group in front of us is much bigger," Vanhoenacker said when asked what it means to have Armstrong racing here. "If he kicks my ass on Sunday I’ll be pissed off, if I beat him I’ll be really happy. It doesn’t matter what he did five and 10 years ago. If I think of him as a seven-time Tour de France winner, I don’t have a chance against him. I have to think of him as a triathlete and try to beat him, and I know he’s going to try and beat us."

Tim O’Donnell

"I spent two months in Australia training with Rinnie (his partner Mirinda Carfrae) and all of the crew there," O’Donnell said when asked about his training leading into this race, and his recent win in San Juan.

"It’s an honor – it’s going to raise the level for all of us," O’Donnell said in response to the question of what it means to have Armstrong in the race. "I’m looking forward to racing all that much faster."

O’Donnell was asked if it’s important that Armstrong appears to have entered the sport and been very respectful of the athletes he’s competing against.

"I think Lance knows what we put into this. I think it’s from one athlete to another the mutual understanding of what we do. We extend the same courtesy to him, knowing what he’s done in the sport."

Join us tomorrow morning for our live coverage of Memorial Hermann Ironman 70.3 Texas including video, live text updates, athlete tracking and photos from FinisherPix.com.